Month: May 2014

SAN FRANCISCO — Michael Morse stood at second base practically blushing, like a teenager in love.

The brute veteran — with muscles and locks and a shadow beard that belongs in an Old Spice commercial — was all giddy and smiling as if his crush remembered his name.

Giants fans have no problem remembering the name Morse. They got an elongated opportunity to shower him with love after he delivered the knockout blow in the Giants’ 8-1 win over visiting Minnesota.

Morse’s second double of the day, a two-outs shot down the third base line in the fifth inning, cleared the loaded bases and left him on an island during a pitching change. The entire time, his face was plastered on the big screen in centerfield while the sellout crowd at AT&T Park stood and cheered.

His teammates joined in the hootin’ from the dugout. A-ha’s “Take on me” being drowned out by the crowd.

You can’t leave Landon Donovan off the World Cup roster. You just can’t.

Come with whatever logic you want. He’s not the spark plug he used to be. The younger guys need the experience for future trips. He reportedly doesn’t get along the best with men’s national team coach Jurgen Klinsmann. Yada yada.

All those reasons for keeping him off pale in comparison to the reasons for keeping him on. Even if all those knocks against Donovan are a given, it’s not enough to leave him off. You you at least name him to the roster and not start him. But you put him on the roster.

The draft lottery went down and, for the second consecutive year, the Warriors weren’t focused on ping-pong balls. However, they might have gotten a break with how the draft lottery turned out. Maybe.

The Warriors have tried to move David Lee in the past. But it needed to be a no-brainer in order for them to pull the trigger. But now, per a couple league sources, the Warriors have lowered the bar realizing they’ve got to come off that contract so they can go after a co-star for Stephen Curry. Plus, with Steve Kerr acknowledging he wants a stretch-four, which Lee is not, the writing is really on the wall for Lee.

I’ve been told to watch out for Orlando as a potential trade partner for Golden State. They have cap space and after a second consecutive year finishing way down in the Eastern Conference standings, they need to make a move. They might be a taker for David Lee for the same reasons the Warriors were back in 2010: they need someone who can produce reliably and usher the franchise into respectability.

Stephen Curry is an emotional ‘tweener right now. It comes through in his tone.

He’s excited about new coach Steve Kerr but also still frustrated by the firing of Mark Jackson. He’s encouraged by the prospects of a fresh start under a new regime but still bummed out by the manner the last one just ended.

He’s empowered by the task of leading this team through it all, yet feeling a bit marginalized as a player in the NBA machine.

“It’s difficult, but it’s good to know what the next direction is,” said Curry, who hasn’t spoken publicly since Jackson was fired. “It’s still kind of stressful knowing how it all went down.”

First things first: Curry does like Kerr. If he had to have another coach, which management concluded he did, he likes the prospects of it being Kerr.

The Mark Jackson era is officially over. The Warriors have a new coach. Time to look ahead.

And one of the immediate benefits of hiring Steve Kerr is a harmonious approach to revamping the roster. Among other things, Kerr’s basketball philosophy jives with that of general manager Bob Myers and his team. How they approach the game, what they think works, is in sync like Joey Fatone.

OK. That was kinda lame.

Anyway, since Lacob believes in Myers (which is a reason why Stan Van Gundy wasn’t getting too much power from Warriors) it was imperative for him to get a coach who jives with the basketball mind he’s invested in.

Steve Blake, Jordan Crawford, Jermaine O’Neal and Hilton Armstrong are all free agents. Marreese Speights is an expiring contract. That’s five roster spots the Warriors need to fill. There should be some harmony in the filling of those decisions. Not merely personality wise, which as I have written is a factor, but philosophically. Having the coaches and front office look at the blueprint the same way will probably be a benefit the Warriors will enjoy.

At some point, we will know if Steve Kerr works out. You can argue hiring another rookie coach is a mistake, but the answer to that gripe will have to play out on the court.

But for now, the Warriors got their man. Improbably.

Sure, they had to pay big bucks. Kerr’s five-year, $25 million contract is about double what Jackson got. That’s a pretty penny for a guy who’s never coached at any level. But when the Warriors knew they were parting ways from Mark Jackson, they had their sights set on Kerr (and Stan Van Gundy). And even though Phil Jackson and the big stage of New York was knocking at Kerr’s door, the Warriors got him. And while no one knows what kind of coach Kerr will be, that’s better than what was about to happen had they not landed Kerr.

The Warriors’ ability to set their sights on a guy and make it happen saved them from an elongated coaching search. It won’t end the scrutiny that came with firing Jackson, but it moves the conversation forward. The Warriors desperately needed that to happen.

It’s a pretty defiant message to the naysayers. Warriors have no shortage of critics, but this is a shot fired back at those who doubt they can pick up the pieces after they intentionally shattered what was working on the court. Against the odds, they pulled off the Andrew Bogut trade, they landed Andre Iguodala, and now they’ve gotten Kerr from the grasp of Jackson’s 11 rings. Not all of them work out as planned, but once they set their sights on somebody, they’ve shown a propensity to get them. Will the same help them land Kevin Love?

We’ll have time to break down Kerr’s offensive plan and defensive strategy, whether he keeps locker room chemistry strong and if he can handle the pressure of a combustible Joe Lacob sitting courtside. But for now, it’s worth noting the Warriors got their man. Again.

The Warriors’ coaching search is already starting to have that here-we-go-again feeling. Even if they did have to move on from Mark Jackson, who was fired after winning 107 games in two seasons counting playoffs, you’d have thought they were already primed to shift gears to the next level.

But the Warriors’ top option is now running the show in Detroit. Stan Van Gundy wanted more power than the Warriors willing to relinquish. Option No. 2, the coveted Steve Kerr, is reportedly leaning towards taking the New York Knicks offer.

If the Warriors indeed get rejected by their top two, then they’re back to the drawing board, choosing between coaches who they have all but deemed second-tier candidates. They won’t be shifting gears, but in neutral, sitting at a stop light, looking for directions on their phone app.

Getting turned down twice doesn’t look good after you’ve fired a winning coach. It looks unstable, and instability is not the mark of a winning franchise. However, general manager Bob Myers could still land a good coach. Several options are out there and the Warriors have a desirable roster, led by Stephen Curry.

Still, if Kerr chooses New York, things could slow down. He and Van Gundy were known commodities as far as the Warriors were concerned. The next candidates on the run could take some time to vet. And given all the drama the Warriors had with Jackson, they’re going to have to know what they are getting this time.

The expectation, based on reports seconded by a few sources, is that New York will eventually work out a deal with Steve Kerr. Warriors management, per Woj, is headed to Oklahoma City to pull the full-court press on Kerr. But choosing the Warriors over the Knicks, even if the Warriors meet his salary demands, would mean Kerr backs out on his friend Phil Jackson. The more likely scenario, I’m told, is that the Knicks pony up.

That puts the Warriors back to the drawing board, and it puts Lionel Hollins in play. If it doesn’t, it should. After Stan Van Gundy, the next best things available is Hollins. There is interest from Warriors’ management, per one source, and some in the front office may even be of the opinion the Warriors should have already locked up Hollins. So if their clear first two choices don’t pan out, Hollins will likely get some attention from the Warriors.

Yes, the Raiders have lots of holes to fill. But the draft is about value. And the when a potential first-rounder drops to you in the second, you’d better have a great reason to pass it up.

Of course, the Raiders probably wasn’t even tempted to take another player at No. 36, once they saw Fresno State quarterback Derek Carr was their’s for the taking.

Yes, the Raiders could have gotten a receiver, or an offensive lineman. But none of them is a better value than Carr, who was projected by many to be a first-round pick and is universally regarded as one of the four-best quarterbacks in the draft.

That’s now two players who were rated higher than where the Raiders were slotted, yet somehow they are headed to Oakland.

Without knowing who he would be, the Raiders’ primary goal needed be getting a monster. They needed someone who in two or three years, when they should be reasonably transitioning from playoff hopeful to legitimate contender, could be emerging as a star.

Mission accomplished with Khalil Mack.

The linebacker out of Buffalo has the upside you want in a first-rounder. He has the potential to be great, which is what you hope in a top-five pick. And he plays a pivotal position, bringing a tangible high-priority skill.

And after all the scuttle, posturing, misdirection and speculation, he ended up falling to the Raiders. You can’t really ask for more than that if you’re the Raiders, who could use a few such breaks.

“This was a guy we targeted early in the draft process,” Raiders coach Dennis Allen said. “A guy we liked and wanted.”